Status: 01.02.2023 4:20 p.m
A warning strike paralyzed the entire subway system and large parts of the bus system in Hamburg on Wednesday.
Normally, more than 600,000 people use the buses and trains of the Hamburger Hochbahn every day – on Wednesday they had to reschedule. Since 3:00 a.m., the Hochbahn has stopped working. In view of the warning strike, the decision was made not to start operations, said Hochbahn spokesman Christoph Kreienbaum. The background are safety concerns: they want to prevent too many people from crowding into the vehicles.
The strike will end at 3 a.m. early Thursday morning. Then the elevated railway wants to resume all subway and bus operations. However, there could still be occasional cancellations in the bus area up to 6 a.m., the elevated railway announced on Wednesday afternoon.
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S-Bahn and VHH buses not affected
The S-Bahn trains are not affected by the warning strike. They were fuller than usual on Wednesday. The buses of the Hamburg-Holstein transport company (VHH) and the HADAG ferries were also on the move as usual.
Good deal for taxi drivers
Many passengers were upset on Wednesday because of the warning strike. The Hochbahn advised to use the HVV app or via hvv.de to inform. Because apparently more people used the car on Wednesday, it was partly full on Hamburg’s streets. The feared chaos in traffic did not materialize. The taxi drivers did good business. The shared taxi provider Moia also had significantly more passengers than on normal days.
Parents could withdraw children from school
According to the school authorities, students who did not make it to class because of the strike did not have to worry: “If students are late or unable to come to school due to the strike, they must not suffer any disadvantages,” said a spokesman. Parents could cancel their child’s registration at their school for Wednesday if the way to school was unreasonable.
Collective bargaining resumes Thursday
Ver.di secretary Magdalene Waldeck was very satisfied with the way the warning strike went. “The response has been really great,” she says. With the strike, the union wants to increase the pressure on the employer for the third round of collective bargaining on Thursday. The union is demanding 600 euros more monthly wages for employees with a twelve-month collective bargaining term. In addition, trainees are to receive an additional 258 euros per month and a free professional ticket for local public transport. For a period of 21 months, the Hochbahn has so far offered an increase in tariffs of 4.5 percent retroactive to January 1, but at least by 150 euros. There should be a further increase of 130 euros from January 1, 2024, as well as a tax-free inflation compensation premium of 3,000 euros.
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